A late period can cause us to panic. Whether you want a baby or not, you'll want to know as soon as possible whether you're pregnant to know what's going on and to be prepared. But in this case, the early bird does not get the worm, because waiting is important to ensure a reliable result when you take a pregnancy test. If you're wondering how long to wait to take a pregnancy test after a missed period, read on, because at oneHOWTO we will answer this question.
Why should you wait to take a pregnancy test?
Thinking about how your body works is important to understand why to wait to take a pregnancy test. When it says we are pregnant it detects, both from the urine and through a blood analysis, the presence of a hormone called hCG, which is produced by the placenta and occurs during pregnancy in order to ensure adequate levels of estrogen and progestin, fundamental hormones during pregnancy.
This hormone begins to be secreted by our body 15 days after the egg is fertilized and not before. What does this mean? It means that if you take a pregnancy test before those 15 days are up, you run the risk of getting a false negative and when it comes to pregnancy, it is best not to risk it and be 100% certain. Take a look at how to use a pregnancy test if you have never taken one.
How long to wait to take a pregnancy test
The reliability of the pregnancy test depends not only on having waited the appropriate amount of time, but on our menstrual cycles. There are many pregnancy tests that guarantee results from the first day of your missed period,however these tests can give false negatives because if hCG levels are not high enough, the test cannot detect them.
So, when should you take a pregnancy test? Doctors recommend:
- Take the pregnancy test 7 days after missed period in regular women or women who use hormonal contraceptives and therefore have a date for when their next period should be. After a week of delay, hCG levels will be high enough to be detected.
- Wait for 21 days to take a pregnancy test after intercourse to be 100% sure of the result if you have a regular menstrual cycle.
- If you choose to do the pregnancy test the first day after a missed period and it is negative, then wait a little longer. If it does not come within this time, repeat the pregnancy test within 5 days since you may have had a false negative.
- For women with irregular menstrual cycles, the pregnancy test should be taken 2 weeks after the intercourse they believe might have gotten them pregnant.
When not to take a pregnancy test
As explained above, to be reliable, the pregnancy test should be taken properly. So you should never:
- Take the pregnancy test on the day of unprotected intercourse or the next day.
- Take it without having a menstrual delay.
- Take the test without reading the instructions, or you might get the wrong result.
While home pregnancy tests can give false negatives, they do not yield false positives. Except in cases of ectopic pregnancy or pregnancies without an embryo, a positive result means that there is an ongoing pregnancy.
This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.
If you want to read similar articles to How Long to Wait to Take a Pregnancy Test After a Missed Period, we recommend you visit our Family health category.